


it's high time

by aubadezayn



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Croatoan/Endverse, Dean Not Being an Asshole, Domestic Fluff, Endverse, Flower Crowns, Fluff, Happy Endverse, Hippie Castiel, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Oaths & Vows, Origami, Wedding Fluff, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-27
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-11 12:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4435466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aubadezayn/pseuds/aubadezayn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a HAPPY endverse wedding fic because there's not enough life-sucks-but-we're-in-love fics for Endverse!Destiel</p><p>involves adorable vows, realistic disappointment/sadness, and flower crowns.</p>
            </blockquote>





	it's high time

**Author's Note:**

> heyyyyy if you like this, or you like destiel/supernatural/dean winchester or castiel alone definitely come follow me on  
> [tumblr](http://castieladrift.tumblr.com)
> 
> also I made a little aesthetic thing for this fic [here](http://castieladrift.tumblr.com/post/125192841647/you-ever-wish-we-could-have-some)

Back in 2009, Sam said yes.

Today, Dean's saying a very different type of yes.

There's no tuxedos or nice dresses 'cause no one felt like risking their lives raiding a Men's Warehouse. Dean did shower for the occasion, even cleaned behind his ears and between his toes. The camp lacked hot water at all, so showers were usually quick and perfunctory, but he'd stuck it out. Nearly getting hypothermia and chattering his teeth out of his head, Dean just hoped it would be enough.

Camp doesn't have a lot of plants other than weeds and marijuana plants so there are no flowers. No rose petals to litter the aisle, no aisle in fact. Since the apocalypse, the Earth had collapsed and with it, all the natural beauty.

There's a few ramshackle, mismatched chairs set out for the elderly members of Camp but the rest of the area consists of mostly dirt, dead grass and ant piles. Hunters are standing around with guns strapped to their backs, to their chests, to their thighs, chattering amongst themselves. Risa and her niece Kaitlyn had made a couple dozen paper origami flowers, though, and they dangle with a string of old christmas lights above the altar. 

Underneath, wringing his hands from the shakes, Chuck smiles at Dean.

Seems like the first time in years that anyone has smiled at Camp, much longer since someone other than Cas has smiled at him. He should have done this years ago, it's way past high time.

"Hey," Risa greets, smiling so that her whole face lights up. Dean's never seen it like that before, it makes her seem younger. She nudges him in the side and wags her eyebrows.  
"Only an hour or so till the honeymoon, huh? Excited?"

Dean laughs, pulling at his collar anxiously. He wore his best shirt to this, which meant that it was just good enough to button up but still have holes in it. "Yeah, but knowin' him he'll make me wait till after cake, just 'cause he's a fucking tease."

"Don't pretend you don't love it." There's a tone to her voice that says she wanted to say "him" in place of "it". Dean realizes suddenly that he's about to recieve a father-of-the-bride speech from an ex-fling. "Not today," She continues seriously, never breaking eye contact. "Not tomorrow. We got ourselves a pretty goose egg of guaranteed days left, no more pretend, Dean." 

It's not like he doesn't know exactly what she means. He can't shrug her off or tell her she's wrong. Sam said yes and the Earth wasn't the only thing to die, and for a long time he stayed that way. Drinking himself into a grave bottle by bottle, fucking anyone and everyone (especially to spite Cas), fighting Croats and fighting his own people - Dean was a mess for so long, and yet Castiel was there through it all. In the background, patiently waiting for Dean to get his shit together, Castiel was the most constant person in Dean's life, ever. 

They got real low on good alcohol years ago, so out of necessity Dean and Cas (and Chuck) all rolled back the habit to a drink now and then. Ran out of cigarettes almost right after so Dean's lungs got pinker and thanked him for it. Cas still grew marijuana, tending to his damn plants in an old sun hat every day, and used prescriptions he'd hoarded from pharmacies since the apocalypse hit, but those were the least of their problems. Even all that positive change wasn't enough to get Dean's head out of his ass though, and he and Cas danced around each other for a lot longer. 

All those habits kicked, Dean left camp immediately. Fucked Cas one last time, said his prayers to a God that didn't exist or didn't care, and drove out of Camp so early the sun was still down. He told himself he was going to kill Lucifer, once and for all, Sammy or no Sammy.

He never made it though, the truck ran out of gas long before he reached Detroit and he ended up sleeping under a bridge a couple dozen miles away from Camp. Cas and Risa and Chuck found him sleeping under the bridge and shaking from hypothermia and withdrawals. 

After that, Dean and Cas stopped dancing.

Dean weighed his words, looking around at the meager handful of survivors. Newborns, new couples, new coping - this group was holding on by the skin of their teeth, but everyone was fed and mostly safe. Dean nodded, mostly to himself, but looking at Risa. 

"I got one day, one guaranteed day." Risa perked up, her chin tilting in question. "I'm gonna use it to marry my best friend." A warm smile spread over her face and she nodded.

"Good use, I think."

"Hey, hi, everybody! Can I just get everyone's attention?" Chuck pipes up from under the altar, his voice barely heard over the crowd. "Dean?" He asks desperately, looking for help.

"Yeah, yeah." Dean laughs, a smile crinkling his tired face. He marches up onto the small platform they'd made for Chuck to ordain on. His thigh holster shifts with him as he climbs up. "Hey!" Everyone shut up, I'm getting married!" Cheers and shouts ring out, some playful jeers too but Dean just rolled his eyes at those. 

"Okay, where's Cas?" Dean asked, stepping off the soapbox and letting Chuck back on.

"I'm here, I'm here sorry." Cas' voice came from behind, out of breathe and harried. Dean turned to ask where he'd been and stopped short.

"What the hell is that, Cas?" Dean asked, just as a circlet of white and blue paper was shoved into his hand. Cas was wearing his usual garb, a hemp shirt and worn out blue jeans that had probably belonged to Dean years ago, but atop his head was a crown of sorts. Dean looked down at the bundle he'd been handed and realized it matched Cas'. 

"Cas, man no-"

"Risa and Kaitlyn told me marriage has specific rites and traditions. I refuse to start our matrimony off with rule-breaking, so Kaitlyn made us these. Something blue," Cas tapped the blue folded flowers on the circlet. "Something old 'cause paper mills shut in 2009, and something borrowed since it's Kaitlyn's."

"She gonna want it back afterwards?" Dean asked, turning the thing over in his hands. Pretty nice craftmanship, but it was still a damn paper origami flower crown for God's sake.

"That's a technicality. Put it on so we can get to the sex." Laughter burst out of Chuck, who was the only person close enough to hear, and Dean glared at him. Chuck averted his eyes and fumbled with his cue cards.

Dean sighed dramatically and plopped the damn thing on top of his head. Cas smiled smugly, and wolf whistles rang out behind them but Dean was caught up in Cas' smile.

Those blue eyes shined just like they had in that barn years ago, just like they had every time they'd landed on Dean, despite the apocalypse and the drugs. Dean reached out a hand and Cas' met his immediately. "Alright, alright. Ready to get hitched, guys?" Chuck asked, smiling at them questioningly and nodding when they said yes. "So since I'm not really ordained, you're both technically male and we don't have marriage licensing here-"

"Chuck." Dean said calmly, stopping the tirade.

"Right, sorry. So since this is a dsyfunctional marriage we're gonna let you guys get straight into your vows and exchange of rings. Cool?" Above Chuck's head the christmas lights flickered out, washing them all in darkness. Before anyone could react though they came back on.

Through the corner of his eye Dean tried to get a read on Cas. The ex-angel looked perfectly fine smiling hazily at Chuck like he hadn't even noticed the lights going out, and Dean relaxed with a relieved sigh. Allowing himself to love Cas, despite all the absolute dog shit around them, had been more than enough of a commitment for Dean - the wedding had been Cas' idea.

Laying in bed one night, only a week ago, Dean had his arm around Cas and his hand caressing the ex-angel's hair. The rain had poured torrentially for hours that night and the wind howled like wolves without a pack. Every time lightning cracked, Cas jumped minutely. With the power out, the only light had been the burning end of Cas' blunt and the only sound their breathing and the rain.

"Dean?" Cas' voice burst the pleasant silent bubble they'd been laying in.

"Yeah?" Dean replied, rubbing the shell of Cas' ear with his thumb. Near the top there was an earring Risa had put in for him years ago, and the tiny silver feather had never left since.

"We should get married." Cas' voice was hesitant like he expected to be yelled at. Dean froze, his thumb pausing mid-stroke and his chest seizing. He resumed a minute later and Cas' body relaxed.

"Okay." 

And that was it. Next morning, Dean got up before everyone else, found Chuck and asked him if he'd marry him. Chuck had been shocked silent for a full ten minutes before the prophet finally realized he meant marry him to Cas.

"So, I have seen you two in a hundred battles. Some alone, some together." Chuck gestured his hands out, seeming to forget his cue cards the moment he got started. The words flowed from him the same as his novels surely did, and Dean wondered if this too would have made it into the novels. Was Chuck supposed to write this, in some other fanciful way? 

Had God set it down for them, along the line, and Lucifer blew that all to Hell? In God's plan, was Cas human or were they the first human-angel marriage? Was Sam there?

He hoped that in some other universe, any universe, he and Cas were still together and happier. He hoped that in that other universe Cas got a beautiful wedding, with real flowers and lights that didn't flicker and no guns strapped to their thighs. Maybe even a beautiful life, full of smiles instead of death.

In that other universe, hopefully Castiel was filled with grace instead of smoke. Maybe Dean wouldn't be so empty inside, too.

"Okay, so Cas you want to start?" Chuck asked, and Cas nodded before opening his mouth. Dean held up his hand, calling the ceremony to a stop.

"Wait, hold up. You promised Cas." He accused, pointing his finger into Cas' face who sighed dramatically. 

"Everyone leave, please." Cas asked, waving Risa over. "Make sure everyone is far enough away and then please come back, you will be our witness." Risa grinned, preening at being chosen. 

"Okay, okay everybody, beat it!" Risa shouted, pushing and shoving people out of the area. Grumbles and resistance ran through the crowd but eventually they were all gone, meandering over to the long folding table with food and drinks for the reception. Dean had raided a grocery store for their wedding food (and shot three Croats and one of his own guys) to get it, and if everyone ate it before he got there he'd start shooting. 

"Alright, so Cas...you startin'?" Dean prompted, facing the ex-angel. Cas reached out and took his hand, folding it between his one. One hand rested on top, the word fallen carefully pinpricked in ink running over the side, and the other held the bottom of Dean's. 

"I rescued you from perdition, and I left my family for you. I cannot say that it was always pleasant, or that I was always happy," Cas gripped Dean's hand tighter and leaned closer. 

"But I would not change a single thing. I love you, and I'm glad that you allowed us this." Dean knew Cas meant more than just the wedding. His throat welled up with stupid emotion and as the lights flickered again, he quickly wiped his eyes (just in case).

"The ring?" Chuck offered the battered piece of metal that Dean had pulled off a corpse. Cas took it gently, like it was a precious gemstone instead of a cheap shotgun wedding ring he'd pulled off some skeleton. Dean's finger fit it well enough, though it was a little bit loose. They must have been pretty fat when they were alive. "It's your turn, Dean." Chuck nudged, shoving Dean's foot.

Startled, Dean cleared his throat and looked down. Cas was barefoot, as he frequently was at Camp, and his toes were dirty as fuck. The hem of his too long hippie pants were also stained with dirt. He'd dirtied his angel beyond recognition.

"I...man, I-" Dean was never very good with words, and after the Apocalypse, it'd only gotten worse. Cas deserved a pretty speech, he deserved flowery showy words about perdition and saving each other and destiny, but all Dean had was phlegm lodged in his throat.

"You don't have to say anything, Dean." Cas assured him quietly, squeezing Dean's hand before running a finger over the ring. Dean looked up and seen the gentle smile on Cas' face and knew that he was telling the truth. He could say nothing, put the corpse ring on his finger and go eat some pie, and Cas would still love him.

"I always thought that I'd be at Sam's wedding some day." Dean's throat seemed to shrink up as soon as the words got out. He hadn't meant to say that, he hated bringing up him at all much less on a day like today. 

"I'm sorry you can't be." Cas soothed, twisting the ring on Dean's finger.

"Yeah well, I always thought I would be. I didn't think I was the marrying type. I'm not," Dean coughed awkwardly, clearing his throat. 

"I'm not actually, but you asked Cas and it seemed stupid that we weren't already married. The last couple days I've been thinking about what this wedding could have been, if the whole 'pocalypse thing hadn't happened."

"There'd be real flowers," Dean described, looking at the sad origami flowers drooping. "There'd be candles and shit, I don't know. Sam would be here." 

Cas sighed, patting Dean's hand in solidarity. Dean's eyes watered embarassingly, hopefully Chuck would do him the kindness to not look. 

"But, I can't wait for Sam. I gotta-" Dean broke off, choking. He pounded his chest, knowing that it wasn't anything physical making his breath catch. "You're special, Cas, you always have been. You gotta know that, Cas." Dean insisted, gripping Cas' hand tightly and making eye contact with those deep blue eyes. 

"You gotta know."

"I do, Dean. I know." Cas smiled, the smile so soft and sure that it barely met his eyes. Dean believed, for the first time, that Cas really did know. 

"You made me the marrying type, apparently. I love you." Dean rushed, reaching out towards Chuck and looking down at their feet. "Ring." He demanded, curling and uncurling his hand until Chuck finally fumbled the ring into his palm.

Cas' ring was a near perfect fit, taken straight off Dean's own finger. He'd worn this ring for so long, nearly all his life, and he knew every single groove and dent in it perfectly. He rolled it around between two fingers before raising it to his lips.

Cas laughed softly as Dean pressed a kiss to the metal and slid it on Cas' finger. Then he kissed his _husband._

**Author's Note:**

> heyyyyy if you like this, or you like destiel/supernatural/dean winchester or castiel alone definitely come follow me on  
> [tumblr](http://castieladrift.tumblr.com)
> 
> also I made a little aesthetic thing for this fic []()


End file.
